A month and a week later

I was on a self-imposed ban for the last month and a week. Had to take an exam, and being Guilt’s favorite child, I felt that my time was better spent not blogging (OK, I admit it – one of the voices in my head told me so!) Knowing that no one was going to miss me helped me feel more of a martyr, which is always a GREAT feeling to have before an exam. (Note to my unborn children: This is how boring stories are born – – “When I was a young, I gave up everything when I had an exam!” – a slight variation on the “When I was a boy, I walked 10 miles to go to school story I personally have heard many many times from my own father)

But I digress – in the two months since I started blogging, I hadn’t received a single comment. I haven’t told my friends about this blog – call it another one of my eccentricities – wanting to get by without hits from loyal friends….

So I log in today, and I couldn’t help scrolling down just to see if someone had actually left a
comment… And lo and behold! Not one, but three! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! Right now, I’m experiencing this rather sublime feeling, which my classmates from college used to call “cheap thrills” – for the uninitiated, here’s a definition: a feeling of undiluted joy arising from causes that appear trivial / stupid / inconsequential to others.

And what follows this fantastic moment – guilt. But of course! My blessed Goddess never deserts me. I am rude to not have responded to those who bothered to read me, and cared enough to say something to me. My deepest apologies.

So other than taking this exam, what have I been up to? Let’s see,
(a) traveled through 8.5 countries in the European Union
(b) wrote, nay, published my first novel
(c) had my column published by the New Yorker
(d) worked, traveled all the way from Frisco to Dallas, and back again a number of times, did not clean my apartment, did not get enough sleep
(e) found the love of my life, to whom I am now engaged

If you picked answer choice (d), congradulations!

Today, I got home from work early – I was actually in my kitchen at 7:53 PM! Wow! Hasn’t happened in weeks! I’m celebrating the feat by watching the Caesar miniseries on ABC. About 40 minutes into the first episode – so far, so good. Oops, the miniseries just took a deep hit… Mark Anthony’s speech is on – sans the ‘friends, Romans, countrymen’… Sacrilege!!!

Yes, I am one of those really annoying persons – I read the book, and insist on watching the movie / TV series and crib intensely when the movie / TV series strays the teeniest bit from the ‘original’. And considering that Hollywood is increasingly turning books into movies, I’ve been getting increasingly insufferable. Yes, evil me waits with bated breath for the Da Vinci Code.

OK, I have digressed enough for one entry. More in the days to come.

2 comments so far

  1. Manoj on

    “Just how am I supposed to feel grown up if by the time I do grow up, the news dumbs down?”

    Which is exactly why the ‘Daily Show’ is the best source for news in this country. After Jon Stewart is done skewering the daily quota of trash being spewed forth on CNN, Fox etc., you realize you’re not missing out on much.

    I did some Googling for you.
    “They (ducks) don’t have fancy cartilage like we do, but they have ear holes on the side of their head!”

    AND.

    They have nictitating membranes in their eyes. I never believed it when my 10th std Biology teacher told me about it. So I baptised a duck once in a Kottayam river while on vacation and saw it for myself. Pretty nifty actually.

  2. DoZ on

    Hey Manoj,
    Thanks for the research on ducks – btw, love that word ‘nictitating’ – sounds like the chimes of a tiny bell, which is great for a word to do with hearing, don’t you think?

    So they hear with their eyes? What an idea! I hear Seinfeld in my head – a number of inane but funny Jerry-isms… – Could you move out of the glare, please, I can’t hear you very well… & more in the same vein…

    (Yes, Seinfeld’s is one of the more regular voices in the wide repertoire inside my head – which, being the gracious host that I am – is Texas-sized).–>


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